Photo: GettyThe European Union parliament has voted overwhelmingly to impose a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution from discarded items that end up in waterways and fields. The European Parliament backed the ban in a 560-35 final vote on Wednesday (local time). The ban would affect a range of plastic products for which reasonable alternatives exist, from straws to earbuds, starting in 2021. The European Parliament has said that plastics production is 20 times higher now than during the 1960s. China's decision to no longer import some of the EU's waste helped spur the plastics ban.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 28, 2019 04:07 UTC